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David Llewelyn Wark "D. W." Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948),〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=D.W. Griffith )〕 the "Inventor of Hollywood", was an American film director who pioneered modern film-making techniques. He is mostly remembered for the groundbreaking 1915 film ''The Birth of a Nation'', as well as its sequel ''Intolerance'' (1916). He is closely associated with his frequent leading lady, Lillian Gish. Griffith began making short films in 1908, and released his first feature, ''Judith of Bethulia'', in 1913. His film ''The Birth of a Nation'' made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film in the United States. Since its release, the film has been highly controversial for its negative depiction of African Americans and glorification of the Ku Klux Klan. Today it is both lionized for its radical technique and condemned for its racist philosophy.〔 Filmed at a cost of $110,000, it returned millions of dollars in profits, making it, perhaps, the most profitable film of all time, although a full accounting has never been made.〔 The film was subject to boycotts by the NAACP and, after screenings of the film had caused riots at several theaters, the film was censored in many cities, including New York City. ''Intolerance'', his next important film, was, in part, an answer to his critics.〔 Several of Griffith's later films, including ''Broken Blossoms'' (1919), ''Way Down East'' (1920) and ''Orphans of the Storm'' (1921), were also successful, but his high production, promotional and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. By the time of his final feature, ''The Struggle'' (1931), he had made roughly 500 films.〔 For his pioneering techniques and early understanding of cinema, Griffith is considered among the most important figures in the history of the medium. ==Early life and education== Griffith was born in Crestwood, Kentucky to Mary Perkins and Jacob "Roaring Jake" Griffith, who were of Anglo-Welsh ancestry. Jacob Griffith was a Confederate Army colonel in the American Civil War and was elected as a Kentucky state legislator. Griffith was raised a Methodist. Griffith attended a one-room schoolhouse where he was taught by his older sister, Mattie Griffith. After his father died when he was ten, the family struggled with poverty. When Griffith was 14, his mother abandoned the farm and moved the family to Louisville, where she opened a boarding house. It failed shortly after. Griffith then left high school to help support the family, taking a job in a dry goods store and later in a bookstore. He began his creative career as a playwright but met with little success with only one of his plays being accepted for a performance.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=D. W. Griffith )〕 Griffith then decided to become an actor, and appeared in many plays as an extra.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=American Experience | Mary Pickford )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「D. W. Griffith」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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